StockTello Enterprises
by pacphys
Summary: A foray into a side of Donatello that we never, ever see. A potential that even he is afraid of. This is the darkest thing that I have ever written.
1. The Nightmare

I blame a plot bunny I found hopping around Chibi Rose Angel and her A Measure of Adequacy for this one. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about Chibi. Just a word of warning, this is going to be dark.

Summary: Just a little foray into a part of Donatello that we never, ever see. One that scares even him. This is the darkest thing I have ever written.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am paid nothing and I have nothing. Please don't sue.

Donatello gazed about his large work area. Everything was spotless and pristine, just the way he liked it. All around him machinery hummed and whirred. He reveled in the sound, everything was perfect. Hearing the door slide open behind him he didn't even have to turn around to know that it was his business partner who had just entered the room uninvited. Not only was Baxter Stockman the only person who would _dare_ interrupt his work, but he had heard the man coming down the hall. Yes, there was very little that slipped by Donatello.

Over the years Stockman had learned to respect his partner's observational skills. Never before had he met anyone as adept at punching holes in his genius plots and plans as Don was. Not even the tiniest mistake or flaw escaped the turtle's scrutiny, and his once mortal enemy had become his most valuable asset.

"Donatello, I have the new blueprints for you to look over." Stockman said in a congenial tone. It would be no good to anger his business partner.

The turtle stood and strode over to the large window never once facing the man in the doorway. Noticing Baxter's reflection in the glass Donatello marveled again at the man's obsession with wearing lab coats. They were engineers, and Donatello was the only one who ever even considered getting his hands dirty with actual construction. Construction kept things real, it brought your focus back to what you were trying to do and reminded you what it was you strove to accomplish. Stockman lived in a world of computers and blueprints, yet he wore the lab coat as some sort of bizarre security blanket to remind him of the days when he had really been someone. Personally, Donatello preferred his black silk shirt and black pants with the leather jacket and gloves that pulled the look together, all were tailor-made of course.

Donatello knew that Stockman respected him for his ability to troubleshoot designs. He was sure that once upon a time Stockman had been quite capable of correcting his own designs, but that talent had gone by the wayside when the 'good doctor' had stopped being a part of actually building prototypes. Now, he was reliant on Donatello for that vital troubleshooting service.

"I assume you have looked these over yourself." Donatello warned. He didn't like getting Stockman's 'rough drafts' as he had his own projects. He only did this for the sake of the company. Stockman was still a name in the business, and though Donatello had been making a name for himself of late, he did not yet enjoy the business world clout Baxter did. As long as the Stockman name was on the product it would sell. The company had only recently been renamed to give credit where credit was due, and if Donatello had anything to say about it that name would be changing again in the not too distant future.

"I have." Stockman's voice almost cracked under his partner's gaze. Well aware of the turtle's limited tolerance for these troubleshooting sessions, he had searched carefully for all the potential pitfalls he could find. Nevertheless, he knew that Donatello would find more. He always did.

"Leave them on the desk." Donatello said curtly.

Baxter did so and bowed as he exited the office. Even though the turtle's back was to him he knew that Donatello could sense every move he made and the turtle would be annoyed if he didn't show that small gesture of respect. A few years ago Stockman would have bowed to no one, but times had changed. Donatello had come in and shown all the proper reverence for his scientific brilliance, and had anticipated nothing in return. Now that the turtle had proven his worth he expected to be treated with respect.

After Baxter had closed the door behind him Donatello walked over to the desk and picked up the blueprints. He sneered when his quick once over revealed three fatal flaws. Hastily circling them in red, not caring about convention, he shoved the page aside to work on it in the morning. Right now he didn't want to do this, and instead decided to go home for the evening.

* * *

Leonardo was there waiting for him, as his brother always was. To be honest Leo didn't have much of a choice in the matter as Donatello had chained him to the wall several years ago. Unfortunately, the other two were not there as Mikey and Raph had escaped the city. While Donatello was pretty sure they hadn't yet given up on getting Leo back, they knew better than to return to New York. Whether they returned or not it was only a matter of time before Donatello found them as well. And when he did they would pay just as Leo was paying for their crimes rivaled, if not surpassed, the trespasses of their once 'Fearless Leader'. Donatello snickered at the thought of the old nickname. No, Leonardo was anything but fearless now, instead harboring a healthy fear of the turtle who he had once seen as a brother.

The door opened and Leonardo knew exactly who was coming in. Even if he hadn't recognized the strut he had heard coming down the hall there was only one person who knew where he was. After Don had been put in a situation 8 years ago that had resulted in him single-handedly taking down the Shredder and losing his left arm in the process, life as Leo knew it had gone to Hell in a hand basket. Leo could be nothing more than a horrified spectator as Don had found a kindred spirit in Stockman. No matter how he tried to reason with his brother there was nothing Leo could do to prevent the team-up. Now the Donnie that he had once known was long gone. The quiet, peaceful, incredibly creative turtle he once knew was dead, and had been replaced by this cold-blooded being before him. He inwardly cringed at the being's sneer, instantly aware of the less than stellar day the turtle before him had had. Leo could no longer call this thing his brother. The turtle, no that was too good a term, the thing that stood before him was an abomination.

"Good evening, Leonardo." The thing that had once been Donnie intoned silkily.

"Good evening, Donatello." Leo sneered back. He warily watched the thing, knowing that whatever it had in mind would not be good. Over the past few years he had grown to dread that tone of voice. It meant that the beast was in a poor mood and wanted to have a little fun. While part of him wished for his two remaining brothers to come and rescue him, another part of him wanted them to stay as far away from this as they could. He didn't want them to see the monster that Donatello had become.

In a way it was their fault, his and his brothers. Leo had realized too late that he had taken Donnie for granted and pushed him too hard. For too long Leo had expected Don to go above and beyond the call of duty without realizing that the pressures he put on the turtle were tearing him apart. Looking back on it Leo realized that losing Splinter 10 years previous had been the turning point. He had started pushing his brothers harder and harder. Raph and Mikey had eventually put Leo in his place and he had let up. Then Don's fateful battle with the Shredder and the loss of his arm had torn Donnie's spirit beyond repair. In an attempt to bring his brother back to a point of battle-readiness Leo had started pushing again. Mike and Raph had continued to bring broken items to Don and hadn't realized just how much it broke their brother's heart. Though he had tried valiantly, Donnie had been unable to repair the items with one hand. It was around that time that Baxter Stockman had returned to the scene.

Donnie had sought out the self-proclaimed scientific genius and had quickly been hired on at the new StockTronix Enterprises. Leo had balked at the move alongside his other two brothers and had openly objected when Don had come home with a new robotic arm, a prototype of the one that now caressed his cheek. Leo pulled away from the touch and glared at the monster.

"Not so much the Fearless Leader anymore are you." Donatello sneered. "I can smell your fear you know." Walking around the turtle chained to the wall he continued. "You thought that I never listened to the rat's lectures didn't you. And the lectures you gave after he became worm food. But I did, Dear Brother. I listened very carefully, and you will regret every single one of those lessons by the time I am through with you."

The mental and physical torture at the hands of the being that had once been his brother was always brutal, but Leonardo had long since learned that if he stayed silent the thing became bored quickly and would seek other sources of entertainment. So Leo did was he had learned to do best, he remained silent. He wished that he could reach his brother, but after the first year he had become convinced that Donnie was gone, and this thing was all that was left. There would be no reaching his brother.

Using his robotic arm, Donatello reached out to find a particularly sensitive pressure point in Leonardo's neck…

* * *

Donnie snapped to awareness, and for a moment he didn't know where he was. Soon he found that he was lying in his bed in the lair. His breath was coming in ragged gasps and he was shaking.

"Don, are you ok?"

Nearly jumping off the bed in surprise Donnie searched frantically for the speaker.

Leonardo knelt beside the bed looking down in concern. The look quickly turned to shock then confusion when his brother launched into his arms and started crying. Finding himself in a rather awkward position Leo did the only thing he could do, he tried to comfort his brother. He had to wonder what had brought his on.

"Leo, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Don sobbed in his arms.

"Donnie, what are you talking about?" Leo asked. He had been aware that he was awaking Don from a nightmare, but he hadn't expected a reaction like this. _Must have been a doozy, _Leo thought.

"Oh, Leo! I'm so sorry. You never deserved that!"

"Shh, Donnie, it was a nightmare, a bad dream, nothing more. It's over." He continued his attempts to soothe his inconsolable brother who was still shaking uncontrollably in his arms. Leo had no idea what had brought this on, but Don didn't seem willing or able to tell him, at least not yet, but he could wait. Sometime Donnie would be ready to talk and when that time came Leo would be there to listen. Leo would not push because he knew his brother better than that. Don would come to him when he was ready.


	2. Disturbing Discoveries

A/N: Alright already. 8 requests for more is where I say ok, ok, I'll do it! Holy Cow, there are a lot of you! And a great big THANK YOU to **Chibi Rose Angel** for the beta and telling me to go ahead and run with this! 

Disclaimer: Last time I checked I didn't own the turtles. (opens mailbox and finds a couple bills and a moth) Nope, still don't own 'em (closes mailbox). Frankly, I don't see that changing either. I'm just borrowing them to play with for a little while and I promise to put them back when I'm done. I don't get paid. Please don't sue.

* * *

Chapter - 2 

"Master Splinter, I'm ok!" Don insisted the next morning in their training session.

"Really, My Son?" Splinter questioned knowing full well that this turtle was anything but ok. He certainly was not ready for any physical training yet, but his purple masked son was nodding frantically. The wise rat could not help but wonder why this son was so desperate to train this morning, especially after what had happened yesterday. But he was being forced to prove his point. "Very well. Left jab!" Splinter ordered.

Don froze. He should have known Splinter would pull something like that. What had he been thinking? He couldn't even do something as simple as a left jab right now. Don knew he wasn't going to be able to participate in training today, at least not the physical training, and that meant he would be sent to another room by himself to meditate. Though he was usually a solitary soul, being alone was the last thing he wanted right now. Dropping his head to his chest he admitted defeat. He caught Leonardo looking at him in concern, evidently remembering the scene he had made last night. Don didn't want to be hidden away from his brothers; he wanted to be as close to them as was possible right now.

Splinter could feel the anxiety exuding from the one he thought of as his second youngest son. He was well aware of the nightmare last night, but like everyone else he was clueless as to what had occurred in the dream that had frightened the turtle so. "My son, why don't you…"

Don knew exactly what was coming, and he was dreading the words.

"…go find a quiet room in which to meditate?" Splinter could feel his son's anxiety level spike. That suggestion had obviously not helped the situation. All the same, the turtle stood and made to leave the room.

Leo watched as Don left. His brother glanced back just before walking out the door and looked positively miserable. As soon as Don was gone, Leo spoke.

"Master Splinter, he had a really bad nightmare last night." Leo tried to explain Don's actions even though he didn't really understand them himself.

"Leonardo, you know that dreams must be let go."

"I understand, Sensei, but I think whatever it was really got him where he lives."

Master Splinter looked uncertain. His purple masked son was usually unfazed by nightmares. Perhaps there was more to this. "My son, what was the dream about?"

"I do not know, Master Splinter, but when he woke up he said 'Leo, I'm so sorry. You never deserved that.' Other than that he didn't really tell me anything." Leo didn't reveal Don's leap into his arms, but he remembered it vividly.

Splinter nodded and looked at his three sons who remained in the dojo. "Perhaps then, Leonardo, you should see if he is ready to talk.

Leo nodded and ran off in search of Don. Mikey and Raph looked at Splinter, concern marring their features as well.

"Let Leonardo deal with your brother, you two should spar for a while."

It didn't take long for Leo to find Donnie. His brother had done exactly as he had been told. Don had gone to the far end of the living area, and he was sitting on a meditation mat. Leo knew that Don never remained in meditation long, especially not if there was something more interesting, but when he approached today, Donnie didn't immediately break from his meditative state.

* * *

"Stockman!" Donatello bellowed as he stalked through the corridors of StockTello Enterprises. The human hadn't been answering his phone, and Donatello was ticked. Taking a moment to focus, he remembered that Baxter occasionally unplugged the phone to concentrate on his work. It was a habit that annoyed Donatello to no end. He stormed up to his partner's lab. 

Gliding silently into Baxter's computer lab and office Donatello used his ninja skills to slip behind his partner, knowing full well that Baxter despised it when people snuck up on him. Of course, that just made it a little more fun.

"What is this garbage?" Donatello queried quietly, speaking from a position only inches away from Stockman's ear. He watched in amusement as his business partner jumped from his chair.

By the time Baxter's feet had returned to the floor, Donatello was sitting nonchalantly on his desk. He should have known that the turtle would do that to him, but he didn't like it at all. "What's the big idea, sneaking up on me like that, Donatello?" Baxter demanded.

"Nah, ah, ah, you forget. I asked you a question first. You know how conversations work, don't you, Stockman? You answer me then I answer you. So I reiterate. What is this garbage?" Donatello's eyes narrowed as further incentive for Stockman to answer quickly.

"It is a blueprint for the prototype of the new…" Stockman was cut off when he saw Donatello raise his hand. Evidently this wasn't the response he was looking for. Baxter also had a sneaking suspicion that he had just insulted the turtle.

"This I can see, Stockman." Donatello hissed.

The human didn't move a muscle as he was confronted by the livid turtle. He wondered what sounds normal turtles made, because the mutant one before him had a hiss unlike any human sound he had ever heard. He thought he had read somewhere that they did hiss, but he wasn't sure. He'd have to do a little research. Suppressing the shivers that ran down his spine he stoically maintained eye contact with the being before him, just waiting to see what Donatello did next.

"I found three mistakes in a quick once over," The turtle informed, "and 18 more upon a thorough inspection. That is downright sloppy, Stockman." Donatello hurled the blueprint down onto his partner's desk. "I don't want to see another blueprint with 21 errors. Check your own work before you give it to me."

Donatello vanished as soon as his sentence was complete, ending the conversation quite effectively. Baxter couldn't help but notice that his question had been answered. He knew better than to annoy the turtle, but he had done so and Donatello had retaliated. Stockman sighed and picked up the blueprint. Every error was one that he would have noticed a few years ago. _Rookie mistakes._ The two words kept replaying in his head. Well, he'd just have to be more careful next time.

Instead of returning to his office, Donatello decided to take a long lunch. He went home and, as expected, found Leo still chained to the wall. Earlier in the day he had made a discovery that he wished to share with 'Fearless Leader'.

Donatello inhaled deeply as he entered his brother's room. "Do you feel it, Leo?" He asked quietly. "Do you feel them? They're here you know?"

Leonardo looked at the monster before him in horror. He was unable to believe that it was telling the truth. There were only two in existence that it could be referring to: Raphael and Michelangelo. Surely, they were smart enough to stay out of the city! Evidently his eyes betrayed him because he heard Don start speaking again.

"No, Fearless Leader, they are definitely coming for you. Do you know what they are going to find?" Donatello spoke slowly, his voice low and dangerous.

Leonardo couldn't prevent the shiver that shot up his spine.

"That's right, Fearless Leader." Donatello said as he glided across the floor, stopping only inches from his brother. He laughed and used the robotic hand to caress Leo's cheek.

Leo pulled away from the thing's touch and slammed his shell against the wall, expressing his extreme disapproval of the plan he knew was brewing in the monster's sadistic mind.

* * *

Noticing that something was definitely wrong, Leo reached out and touched Don's shoulder. "Donnie?" He was surprised when Don snapped from the meditative state and easily pinned him to the floor. One hand, the right one, found his throat and pressed. 

"Never, ever presume to touch me, Leonardo." Donatello hissed into his brother's ear.

Leo was shocked by the turn of events and even more so by the dangerous tone in his brother's voice. Looking into Don's eyes, Leo was frightened by what he saw there. Two soulless voids glared back at him, they certainly weren't the eyes of the Donnie he knew. "Donatello, stop this!" Leo ordered quickly.

The blue masked turtle could only look on in astonishment as Donnie realized where he was and what he was doing. He could almost see his brother flood back into the eyes that still locked with his. Leo was freed in a moment, and in that same moment Don was gone.

Leo jumped up from the floor, where he had been left by his fleeing brother, and gave chase. He had heard the door to the sewers opening and raced to catch up with Don. While Donnie might not be the fastest of his brothers, especially with his arm giving him trouble, he did have a head start and seemed pretty motivated to get away from Leo. Leo knew that it might be a while before he found Don, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Something was telling him that part of Donnie really wanted to be found.

Pausing in a tunnel Leo stopped to listen carefully. He wasn't sure if he would be able to hear Don or not, but it was worth a try as he'd lost his brother's trail a way back. Leo closed his eyes and allowed every one of his senses to search for his brother's presence. A muffled sound reached his ears that did not fit in with the surroundings. Leo followed that sound until he came to a hole in a wall that he was pretty sure he couldn't fit through. He sighed and turned around, again he reached out, and this time felt more certain that Donnie was on the other side of that wall. While he had no idea how his brother might have gotten over there he was sure that Don had managed somehow.

"Don?" Leo called, poking his head through the hole. His brother was sitting in the far corner of the small space beyond the hole, with his knees tucked up under his chin. "Hey Donnie, are you ok?" Even as he spoke the words he regretted it. If one thing was obvious, it was that his brother was not ok.

Careful not to make eye contact, Don looked at the brother who had invaded his quiet little space, or tried to. He wasn't quite sure, but his guess was that Leo wouldn't fit through the opening and therefore wouldn't be getting in anytime soon. Don turned away from the intrusion and poked at the sling that supported his left arm. His gaze moved to his left hand as if to make sure that it was still there, that it was still green, not that awful silver he hid with the black glove in the dreams.

"Donnie, how did you get in there?" Leo finally asked. When Don didn't answer, Leo took another look at the hole. It was just barely too small for him to fit, which meant that Don's slightly smaller frame probably could slip through. Leo shook his head, it would have to be Donnie that he followed down here, the only one of his brothers that could still get into places he couldn't. "What happened back there, Don?" Leo asked quietly. Concern laced his voice and he was careful to keep any anger out of his tone.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Don looked away from Leo. Part of him still hoped that the blue masked turtle would just go away, but another part hoped that Leo would stay.

"I'm not angry, Donnie. I just want to help, but I can't if I don't know what's wrong. Please. Please come out of there." Leo begged. He wasn't sure what his brother would do, but smiled gently when Don stood and moved toward the hole.

Don slid out of the hole and stood before his brother, when he spoke his eyes never left the ground.

"You would be angry, if you knew what I am going to do to you." Don stated quietly.

Leo had no idea what his brother meant by this, but he did know that it couldn't be good.


	3. Why, Donnie?

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I am paid nothing, and I promise to return everything when I am done. Please don't sue!

* * *

"_Please. Please come out of there." Leo begged. He wasn't sure what his brother would do, but smiled gently when Don stood and moved toward the hole. _

_Don slid out of the hole and stood before his brother, when he spoke his eyes never left the ground. _

"_You would be angry, if you knew what I am going to do to you." Don stated quietly. _

_Leo had no idea what his brother meant by this, but he did know that it couldn't be good.

* * *

_

Chapter - 3

"Wha…what do you mean, Donnie?" Leo questioned unsurely.

"The dream, the nightmare you woke me from last night, wasn't a dream." Don admitted, looking down at the floor. "It… it came back when I was meditating." Cautiously, Donnie looked up at his brother.

Leo knew what that meant.

"It's something I'm really going to do, Leo." Don continued. "I'm going to…" He couldn't finish the sentence. This couldn't really be happening. It was crazy. He looked away, unable to meet his brother's eyes any longer.

Seeing Don so close to breaking down, Leo reached out and pulled his brother near for the second time in less than 12 hours. "Come on, I want to show you something." With one arm around Don's shoulders, Leo escorted his brother to what he considered his special place.

Together, they sat on the end of the tunnel, looking out at a quiet section of the river humans rarely visited. "Do you want to tell me about what you saw?" There was a long pause and Leo was just beginning to think that Don wasn't going to tell, that he was going to keep it all pent up inside, when his brother finally spoke.

"It was bad enough when I thought it was just a really vivid nightmare." Don then launched into a halting explanation of the visions. He told about how he worked with Stockman, the acquisition of the robotic arm, and about how he tortured Leo just for the fun of it.

When Don finished his tale Leo had absolutely no idea how to respond. What do you say when your brother tells you of his vision that he's going to become his family's worst enemy? Suddenly, a conversation he had once had with Master Splinter jumped to mind.

"Time is a funny thing, Donnie."

Unable to stop himself, Don laughed a little. Leo was right, but he didn't know where his brother was going with this.

"The future is variable. What hasn't happened yet can be prevented."

Now he understood. Some choice, some conscious decision, that he made could change the future. "So, if I follow the course I'm on…"

"Then nothing changes and you…" Leo gulped. He couldn't finish what he had started to say, he couldn't even really think it. This was Donnie he was talking about, quiet, peaceful, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly-if-he-didn't-have-to Donnie.

"Become a monster." Don finished. He shuddered as he stared out at the river. "What I don't understand is why now? What happened that put me on this path?"

Leo looked over at Don. The same question had been bugging him. "I don't know."

Don nodded and looked down at his green left hand again. A long companionable silence passed between the two brothers before Donnie finally spoke again.

"What about yesterday? Maybe when that Elite threw me into the dumpster." Don shuddered at the memory, and pushed aside the pain that shot through his arm as a result. He remembered a bitter hatred that had flashed through his mind as soon as he had gotten his dislocated shoulder back in place and the pain lessened. It wasn't a pleasant memory. "Leo, I don't think I have ever hated anyone like that before in my life. I mean sure, I hate Shredder and those guys, but this was different. This was cold and bitter and…" Don trailed off. Then, with more conviction, he spoke again. "Leo, I don't want to become that thing."

"You won't, Donnie. I won't let you." Leo promised quietly. "We'll find a way to stop it." Leo offered a hand up to his brother and led him back to the lair. Don followed without resistance. Their destination was his mentally exhausted brother's room. Once Donnie was safely asleep in bed, Leo went back to the dojo for the last half of morning exercises.

Splinter didn't even have to look at his son to know that Leonardo's focus was elsewhere. "You should go back to bed for a while too." He said without turning around. Just as Leo was about to object Splinter continued. "You are too tired, and you will not be paying attention to your training. Back to bed."

Reluctantly, the blue masked turtle obeyed.

* * *

"Michelangelo…Michelangelo. I know you're here so you might as well come out and play!" Donatello called in a sing song voice as he sauntered down the corridor of StockTello Enterprises. "Raphael is here somewhere too, but you boys split up. Tsk, tsk, tsk." He looked up at the ventilation shaft above his head. Even though he couldn't see his brother, he knew Mikey was there. Glancing up, he found a nearby vent cover, he glared at it and a smile spread across his face as he met Mike's eyes. "That was your first mistake." Donatello informed darkly, as he jumped up. With his robotic left arm he ripped the vent cover from the shaft, threw it to the floor and grabbed hold of the opening while his right hand latched onto Mike's throat. He threw his brother from the vent system and Michelangelo landed hard. 

"Donnie, this isn't you." The orange masked turtle rasped.

"Donnie? Hmm… Nope, I don't know him." Donatello replied calmly as he released his hold on the vent shaft and dropped soundlessly to the floor. "Let me guess, you didn't even plan a way to contact Raph when you got in trouble."

"What did you do with Leo?" Mikey demanded from the floor.

"You, dear brother, are in no position to be demanding information." Donatello replied forcefully. "But don't you worry your little head about Fearless Leader. You'll know what I've done with him soon enough."

"You Bastard!" Mike shouted as he stood to face the beast that had once been his brother.

Donatello reached out and effortlessly lifted Michelangelo from the floor. "Now, now Mikey, you don't really mean that. I am your brother after all."

"You were my brother! I don't know who you are anymore, but you're not Don. Donnie would never do something like this!"

"Are you so sure of that? What did you ever really know about me, Michelangelo?" Donatello adjusted his grip on his brother.

The comment gave Michelangelo pause. It should have been something he had expected, but here is was, and he didn't have an answer.

"That's what I thought." Donatello threw Mike against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Well, for starters, Donnie was patient." A familiar voice growled.

Donatello turned slowly to Raphael who was standing behind him. "Ah, not so blockheaded after all, you even seem to have almost had a plan. I must say, I am impressed." He leisurely clapped his hands.

"Planning was really more Leo's thing."

"Yes, that's right. You were the one who ran off whenever the mood struck you. It didn't matter what happened to anyone else as a result"

Raph made a move to attack the beast that remained of his brother.

"Aw, how wonderful! You're just the way I remember you: hit-first-ask-questions-later-Raphael."

Raph tackled the smug turtle, dropped him effortlessly to the floor and held a sai to his throat. "You might be surprised by how I've changed." He was taken aback that the expression on the other turtle's face remained unaltered. If anything the monster was smiling.

"You, Raphael, are not the only one who has changed."

"That much is obv…"

Raph didn't get the chance to finish his statement as Donatello, almost nonchalantly, rolled out of the hold and turned the tables. The sai Raph had been threatening him with was tossed aside; it impacted the wall and stayed there. Its twin joined it momentarily.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Reaching down with one hand Donatello latched onto Raph's throat. "It does seem that the strong and mighty Raphael has been taken down by meek little Donnie." The last three words were spoken in a small, high-pitched voice. His tone turned dangerous again. "That is the turtle you remember, isn't it?"

"Don't do this. You will regret it." Raphael warned.

"I really don't think I will. Why don't you tell me something, Raph? Answer the question Mikey couldn't. What did you ever really know about me?"

"Don was peaceful. He didn't hurt people if he could help it." Some part of Raph hoped that would get the other turtle off of him, another part knew better.

"However, I never did hesitate to hurt those who hurt me, did I? You know something, Raphael? This is kind of fun. Did you get off like this by beating up all the hapless punks you came across whenever you stormed out of the lair all those years ago?"

"Violence is a drug. It's addictive like any other."

"Wow, Raph. That's a lot of wisdom to come from a guy like you. Go on. What do you really know about me?"

Raph thought for a moment, and he could see the monster on top of him becoming impatient. "You were never happier than when you were fixing something." Raph blurted out suddenly, saying the first thing that popped into his head.

"Wrong answer!" Donatello shouted. He punched the floored turtle in the face causing Raph's lip to bleed. "Strike one, Raphy-boy. Try again."

That surprised him. He had really thought Don was happiest when he had something to fix. Maybe this monster had a point, but Raphael wasn't willing to concede just yet. He made ready to spit the blood out of his mouth, preferably at the thing on top of him.

"Nuh, uh. That way. On the floor."

Raph spit onto the floor then turned to face the monster again. "Don loved his family. He cared about us and would go to the ends of the Earth for us, and he knew we would do the same for him."

"Once upon a time, yes, I did."

"When did that change?" Raphael cringed at the monster's use of the first person. This thing might be Donatello, or what was left of him, but it could never be Don.

"The person you should really ask that question of is yourself, Raphael."

"You don't really blame us for your arm, do you?" Raph asked incredulously. Only to have the monster hit him again, harder this time. Everything went black and fuzzy for a moment before the world returned to focus.

"Strike Two, you only get one more. I suggest you don't mess up again."

"Then what?"

"The arm was my mistake. Yours came later."

Raphael didn't say anything. He didn't know what this thing was looking for, and he was running out of strikes.

"Have you ever soldered something?" Donatello asked pointedly.

"Yes."

"Good. I am proud of you, really I am. How many hands did it take?"

Suddenly, Raphael realized what he had done. Soldering was one of those times in his life that Raph had wished he had a third hand. "Insult to injury," he whispered.

"What was that?" Donatello asked, though he had heard the comment perfectly. Finally an answer he had been looking for.

"We added insult to injury, and didn't notice."

"Or care. Your first mistake: do you remember what you brought me the first day I was up and around again?"

Raph thought back. He wasn't sure, but he had a pretty good guess. "The DVD player," Raph admitted slowly.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. You brought me the DVD player to fix. Do you remember what I said?"

Raph didn't respond. He had no memory of the conversation. Evidently this monster did though.

"No, huh? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I told you that I couldn't do it. For the first time since we were kids I said the words 'I can't' and do you remember your response?"

"No, but I imagine it was along the lines of 'sure you can, you always have before.'" Raph guessed quietly. He wondered how this thing had managed to make him feel guilty.

"Then you walked away, without even offering to help."

"Donnie, I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to hear it. It's too late now, Raphael. I do believe that's strike three." Donatello slammed Raphael's head into the floor, knocking him unconscious. He checked that Michelangelo was still out then moved both turtles out of the hall before giving them a tranquilizer and taking them down to Leonardo."

* * *

**A/N:** (shudders) Should I be bumping this up to R? I'm beginning to wonder. Only one chapter left. Partially because this is really messing with my head. 


	4. The End?

A/N: The consensus says: PG-13 and that is how it shall stay. Er…T. I guess it's T now. I also got a vote for R(M?) and another for Brit 15 (great suggestion btw, hehe!) So, while the rating stays, uh, T I caution that it is a higher T. Ok, out of my normal style, I am moving the review responses to the end of the chapter this time.

* * *

Chapter - 4 

"Good Afternoon, Leonardo." Donatello said as he walked into his brother's little cell. Leo was still chained to the opposite wall.

"Good Afternoon, Donatello." Leo had learned his lessons well over the years and knew better than to cross this monster.

Donatello smiled at the expected response. "I brought some company for you. Thought you might be getting lonely down here by yourself all day long." He pulled Michelangelo's tranquilized form into the room and dropped him on the floor.

Leonardo was furious. He didn't say anything, but he slammed his shell hard into the wall behind him.

"Now, now, Leo, is that any way to greet your guests?" Donatello proceeded to chain Mikey up on the wall to Leo's left. He grinned evilly at his wakeful brother. "Don't worry. He'll wake up pretty soon."

Donatello went back out into the hall and dragged Raphael's limp body into the room as well. He smirked and moved to Leo's right where a third set of shackles graced the wall.

"Well, I have to get back to work, Leo. You be nice to our guests, ok?"

"You are a monster. I can't believe you did this!" Leo growled.

"Really? I would have though you wanted to see Raph and Mike again. It really has been a long time, Leonardo." Donatello sneered. "Didn't you miss your brothers?"

Leo slammed his shell into the wall again.

"You keep doing that." Donatello observed. "Don't you know you're just going to hurt yourself by now?"

Donatello headed back to work humming a little tune. Nothing was going to ruin this day for him.

* * *

"Donnie. Hey Donnie, wake up!" Michelangelo shook his brother gently. He and Raph had been coming out of the dojo when he'd heard Don's cries. "Come on, Donnie, you're having a nightmare. Wake up." Mikey shook Don a little harder and was surprised when his brother flipped over on his mattress and decked him, all in one motion that Mikey never even saw coming. 

"Mi…Mikey?" Don asked, shaking his head and obviously more than a little unnerved by what he had done: first Leo, now Mikey.

"Yeah bro, it's me. You ok now?" Mike asked from his spot on the floor near the wall.

"I'm really sorry, Mikey."

"Hey, no prob, I've taken worse from Raph." Mikey shrugged. It was slightly disappointing that the comment didn't elicit the smile he had hoped to receive from his brother. Normally, Donnie would have found the comment funny, or he would have at least pretended to, and his non-response only proved to Mikey that something was seriously wrong. He hopped to his feet and moved over to Donnie.

Don remained silent; he didn't have an appropriate response. He couldn't look at his brother right now either.

"Dude, you ok? Should I go get Master Splinter?" Michelangelo asked, unsuccessfully trying to get Don to meet his gaze. He didn't know what was up with his brother, but everyone knew that something was wrong.

"Could you, uh, could you possibly get Leo?" Don couldn't tell the story again; he simply couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Mikey seemed a little confused by the request. "He's sleeping right now. Should I wake him up?" He watched as Donnie's shoulders slumped. To him this gesture meant 'yes' no matter what came out of his brother's mouth.

"No, uh, no I'll be ok. I'll just… just find something to work on."

Michelangelo wasn't convinced. "Do you want to talk about it? Come on, we can play that old Worms game you like."

Don sighed. He did want to talk about it. He wanted, desperately, to talk about it, but he didn't want to explain the whole thing again, and he wasn't sure he wanted Mikey knowing at all. Also, he wasn't in a frame of mind to handle the cute little cartoon worms blowing each other up with bazookas and air strikes at the moment either. Unconsciously, he shuddered at the suggestion. "Did Leo tell you guys anything when he came back?" Don glanced over at Michelangelo and waited for a response.

Mikey was shocked by the haunted look in his brother's eyes. At this moment he really wished that Leo had spilled whatever secret Donnie had confided in him. It was obvious that his brother needed to talk, and that the one who could best understand was probably Leonardo. Sadly, he shook his head no.

Don nodded. "I don't think I can tell it all again right now, Mike. I'll be ok."

Michelangelo nodded and left the room, but not before giving Don's right shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I'll go get Leo." Mikey headed out the door on his mission even as Donnie protested waking their blue masked brother.

* * *

"Leo? Leo, you up? When Mikey got no response he tried throwing pillows. He didn't want Leo's waking to be as painful as Don's was. 

Leonardo moaned. "I am now. What do you want, Mikey." He rubbed his hands over his face in an attempt to bring a little more wakefulness to his system. When he brought his hands down he noticed that the brother standing in front of him had a pretty impressive bruise on his cheek. "Please tell me Raph gave that to you this morning in practice." Leo begged, closing his eyes.

"This?" he asked indicating his cheek. "No. I woke Don up. He didn't take it as well as you did." Mike stated bluntly.

"Ok, I'll go talk to him." Leo stood and started out the door.

"Uh, Leo," Mikey called out sheepishly, "could you, uh, not tell him that I woke you?"

Leo nodded absently as he made his way to Donnie's room.

"Mikey woke you up, didn't he." Don accused as soon as Leo walked in the door. "I told him not to."

"I know." Maybe it hadn't been in so many words, but Mike had told him. "It's ok, really, I don't mind. It was time for me to wake up anyway."

Don turned and gave his brother a half smile; it was all he could muster at the moment.

Leo couldn't help but notice the haunted look in his brother's eyes. It pained him to see Donnie like this. "You had another nightmare." It wasn't a question.

Don nodded.

"Are you ready to talk?"

The purple masked turtle nodded again and started to detail the most recent dream. Near the end Leonardo stopped him.

"What one thing does make you the happiest person alive?"

Donnie was slightly taken aback. He understood the question, but not why it was being asked.

"You said yourself that in the vision Raph didn't answer correctly, and I have to admit that I would probably give the same response, which means that I don't know you as well as I think I do. If I don't even know what makes you happy, how much can I possibly know about you?"

"The one single thing that I enjoy the most is the same thing you do."

Leo took a moment to think about the cryptic response. "I hardly think that's true, Donnie. You almost never…" Leo caught Don shaking his head, and found himself confused. Donnie was now claiming to know him better than he knew himself.

"Ninjutsu is your hobby, that is for you what 'fixing things' is for me. It is not the thing that makes you happiest." Don was almost begging Leo to come up with the right answer.

"I'm afraid I don't know what answer you're looking for, Donnie."

"You do know the answer in your heart. It's not the joy you get from perfecting a new technique, it's something much simpler." Don didn't know why, but for some reason he couldn't just tell his brother the answer this time. Something inside him insisted that Leo had to come up with it on his own.

Leo was confused by this. Mikey thought with his heart, when he wasn't thinking with his stomach anyway. Raph thought with…well, Leo didn't know what Raph thought with, maybe his hormones. Don thought with his head. Leo realized the problem. Yes, Don thought with his head, but that was just on the surface, deep down all four of them thought with their hearts. And Leo knew that in his heart he was happier when they were all together.

Don saw realization spread across Leo's features and nodded. He knew that Leo had the answer, and that was all he needed.

* * *

**_That night _**

Don raced through the corridors of StockTello Enterprises knowing exactly where he was, and exactly where he was going. He hurried away from the building. While he wasn't quite sure how he was going to do what needed to be done, he did know that he would have to find a way.

Several minutes later Don smashed in the door of the room where Leo, Raph and Mike were waiting. He ignored the angry and shocked looks he got from his brothers and hastily started unchaining Leonardo from the wall.

Leo noticed several things about the quickly approaching turtle in rapid succession. First was that its eyes were different: the two empty voids that had haunted his nightmares for far too long were gone. The next thing he realized was that the black outfit was also gone. Instead, the turtle before him wore the uniform of their youth: purple bandana, knee, elbow and wrist guards, a belt, and he had his bo staff strapped to his back. It had been a long time since Leo had seen this turtle. "Donnie?"

At the moment he didn't know what to say, so he simply answered Leo's question. "Yeah, it's me, Leo. It's me."

x - x - x - x - x

Slowly opening his eyes Don found himself, once again, in his own bed. No one had been forced to wake him up this time, and for that he was grateful. He glanced at the clock and a red 2:02 stared back at him like some sort of bizarre face. Turning his gaze to the ceiling Donnie considered what he had just seen. He knew the future that haunted him had been averted for now, but the buildings had still existed in his mind. To him that meant StockTello Enterprises and all the horrors that went with it were still possible. He shuddered at the thought. Now the future was uncertain, the way it should be, but Don knew he would have to be careful to make sure he didn't find that path again.


End file.
